Muppet Man, winner of the $65,000 Meadowlake on August 4 went an easy
five-eighths in 1:01 this past weekend at Arlington Park in advance of
Saturday’s Grade 3 Arlington-Washington Futurity. The local Futurity is
Chicago’s showcase race for juveniles run out of Arlington’s one-mile chute.
Jockey Jeffrey Sanchez, the only rider Muppet Man has ever known, was aboard
for the move which the Corinthian colt accomplished without company.
“He went well,” said Muppet Man’s trainer Jimmy DiVito during training hours
Monday, two days after the breeze. “We got what we were looking for. Everything
is on schedule for his start in the Futurity this weekend.”
Triple Cross, runner-up to Muppet Man in the Meadowlake and other possible
for the Futurity, is doing “fabulous,” according to trainer Wayne Rice. The colt
last worked three-eighths in :33 4/5 at Presque Isle Downs on August 24.
“The reason we only went three-eighths with him is that you can’t pull him
up,” Rice said on Monday morning. “A three-eighths work is more like
five-eighths. If you breeze him five-eighths he’ll go more like seven-eighths.
When he worked the other day I got him galloping out with fractions of :46 and
:59. We won’t work him again.
“We’ll probably be bringing him down to Chicago on Wednesday. The
(Arlington-Washington) Futurity at one mile is high on our list, but I’m still
mulling over a race at Woodbine (the $150,000 Swynford) on the next day. That
race is at seven-eighths. The pots are the same in both races, and the racing
surfaces (at Arlington and Woodbine) are very similar, so I haven’t decided for
sure which way we’re going to be headed.
Wayne Rice’s life partner is Arienne Cox, who has served as Triple Cross’s
jockey in all four of his career starts.
“When this horse broke his maiden at Presque Isle in May, we put him back in
another race in June and he won that one, too,” the trainer added. “Then we put
him in a stakes (the $150,000 Colin at Woodbine July 14) and he finished third
but got put up to second. When we came down to Chicago (for the Meadowlake), I
told Arienne to take him back behind horses to give him an education. I like to
try and train my two-year-olds to go longer distances, and I think the mile
distance of the Futurity might be very much to his liking.”
Gold Edge, heroine of Arlington’s $65,000 Lisa M August 4, breezed five
furlongs in 1:00 4/5 Labor Day Monday morning immediately after the break in
preparation for this Saturday’s Grade 3 Arlington-Washington Lassie — Chicago’s
annual signature event for two-year-old fillies contested at the one-turn mile
distance.
Trained by Lon Wiggins, the daughter of Eddington accomplished early splits
of :25, :37, and :48 3/5 with an exercise rider in the irons and then galloped
out three-quarters in 1:15 while “well in hand,” according to Arlington clocker
Bobby Belpedio.
“That’s about as fast as we wanted go,” said Wiggins shortly after the move.
“Her last two works have been really good. It’s nice to have one that can go
that fast.”
The Dolphus Morrison-homebred broke her maiden by 2 3/4 lengths at Churchill
Downs June 24 in the only other start of her career.
All of Morrison’s remaining horses — including Gold Edge — will be offered
through an upcoming dispersal sale in November.
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